What do you do when your purple Tangs has ich?

[xyzpdq0121]

Kelly,

I hope all that works for you. I have little faith in products like "Kick Ich". I hate to say but in my experience, little can be done as a quick fix. Long term breakouts result if you do not get all the pathogen out of the tank. The only way to do that is by 4 week QT time. If it were me, I would do a fresh water dip of all your fish with Methylene Blue. (Learn how to FW dip here: http://www.reefland.com/forum/marine-fish-care-health-disease-treatment/18887-freshwater-dip-marine-fishes.html">http://www.reefland.com/forum/marine-fish-care-health-disease-treatment/18887-freshwater-dip-marine-fishes.html</a> ) For a Tang I would go about 5-10 min depending on how bad his break out is. Then go into a QT tank. All your fish should go through with this dip. The they need to stay in QT for atleast 4 weeks. You can treat with Copper depending on the fish, you can treat for Formalin, You can use Green Ex (Quinine Based Drugs), You can try Hyposalinity treatments, You can try daily water changes in a controled environment. But all this should be away from your display tank. Plus the QT tank that you will have to set up will save you from this in the future when you QT your new fish and inverts for 4 weeks when you bring them home. (Any less then 4 weeks is a waste of time) After your fishes stay in the QT, you want to FW Dip them again before putting them back in the display tank.

I have done Natural Immunity treatments with a few tangs and had good results with that and garlic. But it is a long process and it only works if the fish has only one or two spots. Any more then that and it really does nothing but hurt the fish. Again, I recommend that you read this: [IMG]http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.htm"><span style="color: #800080;">http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.htm</span></a> and start from there.

Best of luck. Ich is a nasty battle!

 

[vettesarebest]

Xyzpdq0121 wrote: Kelly,

I hope all that works for you. I have little faith in products like "Kick Ich". I hate to say but in my experience, little can be done as a quick fix. Long term breakouts result if you do not get all the pathogen out of the tank. The only way to do that is by 4 week QT time. If it were me, I would do a fresh water dip of all your fish with Methylene Blue. (Learn how to FW dip here: http://www.reefland.com/forum/marine-fish-care-health-disease-treatment/18887-freshwater-dip-marine-fishes.html">http://www.reefland.com/forum/marine-fish-care-health-disease-treatment/18887-freshwater-dip-marine-fishes.html</a> ) For a Tang I would go about 5-10 min depending on how bad his break out is. Then go into a QT tank. All your fish should go through with this dip. The they need to stay in QT for atleast 4 weeks. You can treat with Copper depending on the fish, you can treat for Formalin, You can use Green Ex (Quinine Based Drugs), You can try Hyposalinity treatments, You can try daily water changes in a controled environment. But all this should be away from your display tank. Plus the QT tank that you will have to set up will save you from this in the future when you QT your new fish and inverts for 4 weeks when you bring them home. (Any less then 4 weeks is a waste of time) After your fishes stay in the QT, you want to FW Dip them again before putting them back in the display tank.

I have done Natural Immunity treatments with a few tangs and had good results with that and garlic. But it is a long process and it only works if the fish has only one or two spots. Any more then that and it really does nothing but hurt the fish. Again, I recommend that you read this: [IMG]http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.htm"><span style="color: #800080;">http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.htm</span></a> and start from there.

Best of luck. Ich is a nasty battle![/QUOTE]

I have to disagree , dont hurt me lol. I have used Green Ex on every case of ich i've ever had and I have had REALLY bad cases of it. It clears him up in a couple days and they never get it again. It somehow makes them like Immune to it. Im telling you that this is REALLY good stuff! I've always used it and they never got it again until like a couple months later or a year. I have not had a case of it for about a year now. The only fish that ever got it was my blue tang no other fish ever got it. I don't think you have to go through with all of that extensive treatment mentioned above.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

LOL, I would not hurt you. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. (and yours is not wrong and mine is not right) Your Green Ex is a Quinine/Malachite Green based treatment. It would be my second choice for treatment but I would still carry it out away from my display tank. It is reported to be invert safe but I got alot of nice inverts and would not use it in the main tank myself. The question I would pose to you is why do you have cases pop back up? Either two reasons, there is still Ich in your tank because the treatment did not totally work or you are not putting your fish through QT when you bring them home and thus they are bringing Ich right back into your tank. One of the two needs to be corrected or you will most likely keep running into the problem. The only way you can be 99% sure you have beat the dang thing is if your break the life cycle of Ich. If it has nothing to live on in the tank, it will die off. By allowing the tank to run fallow for 4 weeks, you take away what it needs to live. Plus the act of having to pull all your fish out of your tank will teach you that you should QT your fish before they hit your tank.

That is just my opinion...

 

[kelly3341]

Bryan,

I am starting to see some improvement. If things get worse I will come by and get some green ex. What side of town are you on?

 

[xyzpdq0121]

*starts to sing* Over the river and through the woods...</em>

 

[kelly3341]

I certainly will consider a QT tank in the future, but for now my wallet says to try a cheaper route.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

LOL, I know the feeling. I set up my QT with an old 20G tank (Cheap) a mini biowheel filter that I do not use the biowheel on (pretty cheap) and a heater for the tank size (cheap). That is all you need except for some extra PVC so your fish can hide in it. You do not want sand, you do not want rock. Just those three things. Oh ya and maybe a NO light. Fish like to see. Cheaper then two cleaner shrimp. Now cleaners are funnier to watch but 6 of one, a half dozen of the other.

 

[vettesarebest]

While I was away my dad learned how to take care of my tanks somewhat...... and he wasn't keeping the temperature stable so therefor Dori got the ich again do to stress. Since I have been back home she hasn't had it.

 

[kelly3341]

Heres is an update:

I purchased a coralife UV sterilizer and it does not seem to have helped one bit. I have soaked nori/shrimp in garlic and metronidazole. I lost my Kole tang last night...he fought hard. :sad: I have ordered a fish trap and hope to move my Purple tang, Flame Angle, And Yellow Tang into a 55 gallon hospital tank where I will add copper. Worth a shot. The stress of the move might kill them. I should start working at the Atlanta Aquarium with my track record.

kelly3341 wrote: Here's an update on my actions so far:

4-5 days into the break-out of the infection:

I have treated my 100 gallon tank with Kick Ich, 8oz 3 days ago, and 8oz yesterday. I have purchased 2 skunk/scarlet cleaner shrimp. I have purchased Kent's garlic extreme and have put 10 drops on some sea weed every day for 3 days. I have seen little progress with my fish in terms of less ich, and I am now considering borrowing another members UV sterilizer for a bit. I know it takes 3-7 days for the ich to drop off the fish...I think?

Any suggestions?

 

[vettesarebest]

I am sorry for your loss kelly, you did all that you could do. I hope the very best for all of your other fish. God luck!

 

[xyzpdq0121]

Kelly, Best of luck! CU is a harsh treatment but as a last resort it works, well. They either live through it or don't. Most people say if they die durring the treatment they would have died anyways.

 

[coblerx4]

Kelly don't give up. I was in the same situation this past fall. I lost a puffer and a blue tang. Yellow tang and clown looked as if they were going to die I. I bought a cleaner shrimp, uv light. garlic food, Increased temp to 82, and I put in a air stone to make up for lost oxygen. Also I did three water changes at nite. It took a week but everthing recovered and the Ick has not been back. Good luck